At Comic-Con, some come to learn the craft

Professionals give attendees useful tips on how to find success in TV writing

Spiro Skentzos, a writer for NBC's “Grimm,” joined other professionals Friday in the "Writing for TV: From First Draft to Getting Staffed" panel. Above, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt and Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin.

Spiro Skentzos, a writer for NBC's “Grimm,” joined other professionals Friday in the "Writing for TV: From First Draft to Getting Staffed" panel. Above, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt and Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin.

While the buzz downstairs in the Convention Center is mostly celebrity sightings and exhibit findings, upstairs is a swarm of schooling.

On Friday morning, aspiring television writers packed into room 24ABC to hear from four established writers in the "Writing for TV: From First Draft to Getting Staffed" panel. Spiro Skentzos, a writer for “Grimm;” Karen Horne, an NBC executive; Keto Shimizu, a writer on “Arrow;” and Jane Espenson, a veteran TV writer with experience on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Husbands” shared how they got started and how they remain successful.

“Know the show,” said Horne right off the bat, encouraging the room to submit television spec scripts. “Don’t write a spec for a show that doesn’t line up.” She mentioned that most recently, she’s reading specs submitted for “The Walking Dead,” “Castle” and “Grimm.”

Espenson suggested submitting for shows that would stand out, agreeing with Horne’s sentiments. “Know everything about the show. Do they always use main actors? How do they set up scenes?”

“Writing a spec flexes your muscle. It gets you loosened up and comfortable to write an original pilot,” added Horne.

Obtaining an agent was the next level the panel suggested that novice writers explore, compelling Shimizu to describe her relationship with her own agent.

“Very early on, I got along on a personal level with my agent. Even though they’re not a huge agency, I adore them,” she said. “Once you have that great material, make sure it’s a great representation of you. They need to see that you are marketable.”

“It’s like dating! If it’s a bad fit, you know this relationship is not going to last,” Skentzos chimed.

An undergraduate asked the panel just how important grad school was to get into television writing.

“I felt like I went through grad school in 10 weeks,” Shimizu said, referring to the Writers on the Verge program run by NBC. Skentzos added, “What’s most important is that you continue to write.”

The discussion with a room full of wide-eyed writers could not be without the mention of today’s social and technology-driven world.

Just how valuable could a web series be in pitching a pilot?

Horne applauded the idea. “I think it’s great. We have people who scour the web. We love when people come to us and say I already have a web series with 3 million viewers.”

Before the Comic-Con attendees could head back into the chaos of the convention, Horne added one more thought. “I see thousands of submissions every day. There are tons of people who deserve to be there and won’t make it. But keep trying. If you give up, you’re not meant to be in the business.”